President William Ruto's administration has faced numerous political and economic headwinds since taking power, with the deadly Gen Z-led protests in June last year and the fallout with his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
However, the twin ordeals have produced some firebrand first-timers who have become a thorn in the government's flesh, giving the regime sleepless nights and even defying their own parties.
Among them is Mumias East MP Peter Salasya who this week confronted the president during his tour of Mumias and told him that the country was headed in the wrong direction.
"Retain me as your advisor, because, Mr President, your handlers do not tell you the truth. They lie to you about SHA (Social Health Insurance), affordable housing, and the new education model, CBC. I know you have the interest of the people at heart, but the cartels in your government are preventing you from knowing the truth. These people have imposed huge deductions on Kenyans' payslips, and that is why people are bitter and angry with you," Mr Salasya said.
Salasya to Ruto: Your advisors are lying to you about SHA and taxes
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his Busia counterpart Okiya Omtatah have emerged as political rebels who have kept the government on its toes, buoyed by governance and economic failures of the current administration.
Riding on his new-found popularity, Mr Omtatah, an activist-turned-politician, is mulling a run for the top seat and recently launched his 2027 presidential bid.
The two opposition MPs are joined by about four other Kenya Kwanza MPs who are making a name for themselves on the back of the fallout between the President and Mr Gachagua.
Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa, Joe Nyutu (Murang'a) and John Methu (Nyandarua) make up a list of first-term senators who have thrown caution to the wind and decided to take the war to the president's doorstep.
The list is completed by Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, once an ally of the president who is now a fierce critic of the ruling regime, and Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo.
Bringing back memories of the "seven bearded sisters", the mostly youthful parliamentarians are on a daring mission to stand up to government excesses and fight injustice and corruption.
The original "seven bearded sisters", a term coined by the late former Attorney-General Charles Njonjo, included James Orengo, Abuya, Koigi Wamwere, Mwachegu wa Mwachofi, Chibule wa Tsuma, Chelagat Mutai and Lawrence Sifuna.
Coincidentally, the Nairobi Senator is the nephew of the late Lawrence Sifuna, a former MP for Bungoma South (now Kanduyi).
When they are not voting against government motions and bills tabled in Parliament, they are castigating the government of the day for its excesses, including persistent abductions and wanton corruption.
But National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, who has lately emerged as the President's biggest defender, recently told Dr Ruto to leave the critics to him.
"Hao watu wa kelele, niachie mimi nipelekane na wao (Leave those who make noise to me to deal with them). Mr President and your deputy, concentrate on working for the people; leave those making noise to me. I will deal with them," said the Kikuyu MP.
"Those who are making noise, don't you know them? We even have some who held big positions but are at home today," he added.
Last week, the ODM secretary general launched another attack on President Ruto's government, challenging it over unfulfilled promises and continued abductions.
"When you fail to deliver on your promises and institutions like the Catholic Church call you out for your culture of lies, you have unfulfilled promises, you are abducting young people, I tell you it doesn't matter who supports you, you will lose the elections," Mr Sifuna said.
The Deputy Senate Minority Leader told the Head of State that even the inclusion of ODM members in the broad-based government will not help him come 2027 if his government continues on the current path.
"If you are unpopular, it does not matter how many leaders you surround yourself with. We will lose the elections with Ruto even if we support him as ODM because the people are very clear about what the government should do and as long as you are not doing those things, it does not matter how many parties support you. We lost in 2022 with 26 parties," he said.
Mr Sifuna has not shied away from calling out President Ruto, saying ODM will always remain an opposition party, publicly showing his disdain for the inclusive government.
"I don't know what Kenyans expected because output equals input. We are a country on a downward trajectory," the MP said in October last year.
"I am telling you (Ruto) that even parachuting people like Mbadi, Oparanya and Wandayi into government has not addressed the issues raised by Kenyans, those issues remain. Nobody should lie to you that Kenyans are happy now. No Kenyan is happy. The issues that brought protests and people on the streets have not been addressed," he added.
Two months later, the lawmaker fired another salvo at the government, lambasting it for its way of communicating with Kenyans, saying threats will not force people to embrace its policies.
He singled out Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, a former ODM deputy leader, for lashing out at Kenyans who criticised the government on social media, and urged Kenyans to exercise their right to freedom and not feel intimidated by anyone in power.
Senator Omtatah, the activist-cum-politician, has taken his activism to Parliament, where the Busia leader has become a thorn in the side of Dr Ruto's government.
He has become synonymous with the Gen Z protests, leading some of the protests against the government's deteriorating human rights record.
He has played a major role in the youth-led protests against abductions, which he has linked to attempts to undermine calls for good governance.
He has on several occasions criticised the security services for failing to protect citizens and adequately investigate abductions, and has been blamed for the rampant abductions and enforced disappearances that have reached crisis levels since June 2024.
On December 30, 2024, Mr Omtatah was even arrested, detained and charged along with 22 others for their involvement in a recent call for the release of abducted youths.
For Thang'wa, Nyutu, Methu, Ngogoyo and Muriu; the four MPs, though elected on the Kenya Kwanza ticket in 2022, have emerged as the most vocal critics of the government after President Ruto fell out with Mr Gachagua.
The four have been consistent in their denunciation of the government, publicly calling out the excesses of the current regime, despite the Ruto wave playing a key role in their election.
"This country has gone back to very dark days. I have never seen anyone detained without trial on anticipatory bail, saying you cannot arrest this person. The days of Daniel Moi and I want to imagine that Ruto wants to follow in Moi's footsteps," Mr Methu said in December last year.
The claims came after the senator, along with Mr Thang'wa and others, were summoned by the DCI over the chaos that rocked a meeting involving Mr Gachagua in Limuru.
"The DCI officers were here and they kept saying they were consulting higher authorities. The higher authority in my opinion would be William Ruto," he added.
To show his dissatisfaction with the government of the day, Mr Methu began growing unkempt hair and beards as a sign of protest.
He started growing the hair and beards in June last year as the impeachment process against Mr Gachagua gathered pace.
The senator revealed that he will only shave when the Mt Kenya region completely abandons President Ruto.
"Generals in the Mlima Defence Force have no luxury when it comes to grooming. Mnisamehe (pardon me)," he posted on his X, formerly Twitter, account on September 27, 2024.
Mr Methu has not shied away from taking on the current regime, saying law enforcement must remain neutral and focus on justice and not political interference, adding "we will stand strong and will not allow the police to be used for intimidation".
"We condemn the police for targeting the victims instead of arresting the criminals behind the chaos in Limuru. Politicising investigations is unnecessary," he said.
The senator even attempted to call for a special sitting of the Senate to discuss and investigate ongoing disappearances and other issues plaguing the country.
"This syndicate appears to be targeting and silencing critics of the current government. The President must understand that our leader in the Central Region is Mr Gachagua. Nobody is going to intimidate us into disliking him," he quipped.
For Mr Thang'wa, his anti-government stance has seen him suffer at the hands of the country's investigative agencies, with the senator having to be summoned to Nyeri instead of Kiambu over the Limuru mayhem last year.
He has publicly accused the President of failing to take responsibility for the vices that plague the country, challenging the Head of State for his ambiguous stance on the ongoing enforced disappearances in the country.
"The recent spate of abductions is a systematic attempt to silence dissent and instil fear in Kenyans," he said.
He has also been at the forefront of accusing the government of making empty statements about the fight against illicit brewing in the Mt Kenya region.
Nyutu, Ngogoyo and Muriu are among MPs calling for the formation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the ongoing enforced disappearances, politicisation of the police and alleged State capture.
On Friday last week, Senator Nyutu revealed that Mt Kenya intends to smoke out the President and his allies from the region, saying they are even ready to resign and seek a fresh mandate with a new party.
"Personally, I am more than ready to resign and send the people of Murang'a back to the polls so that they can tell President Ruto what to expect in 2027," he said.
MP Ngogoyo has also launched a scathing attack on the President, telling him to quit social media if he cannot take criticism online.
The firebrand ex-MCA has called on the government to arrest and prosecute critics instead of abducting them, saying Kenya is no longer safe.
